Derby Field

The field for the Kentucky Derby is coming into focus, and what's crystal clear is that trainer Bob Baffert possesses a powerful 1-2 punch in Point Given and Congaree. What remains to be seen, however, is whether usual Derby trainers D. Wayne Lukas and Nick Zito can come up with 3-year-olds worthy of competing in the Derby on May 5. Lukas, with four Derby wins and at least one runner in each of the last 20 editions, might be down to his final chance in Turnberry Isle, scheduled to run in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday.

THE BIG horse is not coming, but, for just the second time in the history of the Pennsylvania Derby, a Triple Crown race winner will be in the starting gate for Saturday's $1 million race at Parx Racing. Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice was installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the field of nine 3-year-olds for the mile-and-an-eighth race. Close second-choice is To Honor and Serve. It would be no surprise if To Honor and Serve, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, actually is made the favorite by post time.

Five years ago, Preakness winner Summer Squall came to Philadelphia Park and won the Pennsylvania Derby. Thus ended a remarkable run of star-quality performers in the commonwealth's biggest thoroughbred race. Smarten, Broad Brush, Afleet - those were serious horses. Summer Squall won $1.8 million in a career compromised by a bleeding problem. The 13 3-year-olds entered yesterday for Monday's 17th Pennsylvania Derby have combined to win just under $1.2 million. It's a nice, competitive field, but the winner will become the first Grade II stakes winner of the bunch.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The pockmarked road to the Kentucky Derby claimed another victim Friday when Uncle Mo was scratched because of a mysterious stomach ailment, further dimming a race already short on star power and speed. Uncle Mo's defection also threw the Derby wide open. "You're never safe until you put that saddle on, because anything can happen," Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said. Owner Mike Repole announced the decision to scratch second favorite Uncle Mo about 40 minutes before wagering opened for the 137th Derby, set for Saturday at 6:24 p.m. The colt has been bothered by a stomach problem, but veterinarians couldn't find a reason for his decreased appetite, energy, and poor-looking coat.

The deepest, most talented field in perhaps a decade drew post positions for the 120th Kentucky Derby yesterday. Fifteen of the nation's best 3-year- old colts are scheduled to run here tomorrow in the world's most famous horse race (Channel 6, 5:32 p.m.). As expected, Holy Bull, the big gray gift horse who launched his Cinderella career at Monmouth Park in New Jersey last summer, was given the favorite's role at 8-5, and, to the delight of his Philadelphia connections, drew the No. 4 post position.

All week long Ben Perkins Jr. debated where he should run his star 3-year old, Storm Tower. The trainer had entered Storm Tower in both the Pennsylvania Derby and the one-mile Jerome Handicap at Belmont Park, but was leaning heavily to racing in New York. Yesterday morning, however, for a variety of reasons, he decided to start Storm Tower, the Wood Memorial winner, in today's $200,000 Pennsylvania Derby, a Grade II race covering 1 1/8 miles at Philadelphia Park, where he will be heavily favored to beat his 10 opponents from start to finish.

LOUISVILLE, KY. - Trainer Larry Jones had little time to celebrate the last time he won the Kentucky Oaks with Proud Spell in 2008. One day later, Eight Belles, his other top filly, broke down and was euthanized after the Kentucky Derby. Jones' focus this week is on Believe You Can in Friday's $1 million Kentucky Oaks after he pulled Mark Valeski out of contention for the Derby. He's hoping for success he can finally savor for a while four years after the tragedy. Grace Hall is the early 5-2 favorite and most recently rolled to a 61/2-length victory in the Gulfstream Park Oaks.

After watching Strong Contender work in the starting gate and gallop around Keeneland, John Ward walked back to his car a satisfied trainer. "You don't have to tinker with talent," Ward said yesterday. The talent may be there, but Strong Contender still needs a near-flawless performance in Saturday's $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes for a chance to run in the Kentucky Derby 3 weeks later. "We have a finite target," Ward said. "We have to be there. " The lightly raced Strong Contender is 2-for-2 and is running in his first stakes race.

Michael Matz, the trainer of last year's Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, believes he has a 3-year-old capable of contending in this year's Derby. The problem: Matz doesn't believe his horse, Chelokee, will be able to get in the Derby. Matz said that Chelokee will be shipped from his winter headquarters in Florida to Keeneland in the next week or so. Matz plans to be ready to run him in the Kentucky Derby if he gets in the field. Chelokee's third-place finish in Saturday's Florida Derby, after a really tough trip, earned him $100,000, but this was the horse's first graded stake, and $100,000 typically isn't enough to crack the 20-horse Derby field.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In the least surprising development of Kentucky Derby Week, it was announced yesterday morning that 2-year-old champion Uncle Mo would be scratched from today's race. The colt, so brilliant last year when winning his three races by a combined 23 1/4 lengths, did not make his 3-year-old debut until March 12 in a glorified workout disguised as a race. Uncle Mo won easily. Then he got very tired at the end of the Wood Memorial on April 9 and faded to third. Something clearly was amiss.

LOUISVILLE, KY. - Trainer Larry Jones had little time to celebrate the last time he won the Kentucky Oaks with Proud Spell in 2008. One day later, Eight Belles, his other top filly, broke down and was euthanized after the Kentucky Derby. Jones' focus this week is on Believe You Can in Friday's $1 million Kentucky Oaks after he pulled Mark Valeski out of contention for the Derby. He's hoping for success he can finally savor for a while four years after the tragedy. Grace Hall is the early 5-2 favorite and most recently rolled to a 61/2-length victory in the Gulfstream Park Oaks.

The 2012 Kentucky Derby will have more consistent, talented 3-year-olds in the starting gate on May 5 than any Derby in years. An incredible nine of the 14 horses that ran in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile have won 2012 stakes races. And three horses that did not even run in the Juvenile, the super fast Bodemeister, unbeaten Gemologist and Santa Anita Derby winner I'll Have Another, will all be taking major action at the betting windows. Union Rags, the horse with all the Pennsylvania connections, may not have won his most recent start.

Derby fever is springing up all over. Owner Kendall Hansen has it now, saying he "can hardly work" as he counts down the week before his horse named Hansen runs in the Kentucky Derby on May 5. First, Hansen has one more prep race, and that's the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, about a 90-minute drive from Louisville. The near-white colt will be facing about a dozen rivals on the synthetic Polytrack, including fellow Derby hopefuls Dullahan and Howe Great. While Hansen remains No. 1 in the Associated Press' latest Run to the Roses' Top 10, Gemologist affirmed his No. 2 status ahead of No. 3 Union Rags with a hard-fought win in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on Saturday.

Saturday at Parx Racing, 11th race, $1 million, Grade II, 3-year-olds, 11/8 miles. TV: NBC10 nonstop from 5-6 p.m. PP Horse           Jockey     Last 3 Trainer      Odds 1    Ruler On Ice          G. Gomez    4-3-1    Kelly Breen        5-2 2    Arthur's Tale          A. Garcia       2-1-4    Thomas Albertrani 12-1 3    Pender Harbour       L. Contreras    1-1-3    Michael De Paulo 12-1 4    Norman Asbjornson    J.

THE BIG horse is not coming, but, for just the second time in the history of the Pennsylvania Derby, a Triple Crown race winner will be in the starting gate for Saturday's $1 million race at Parx Racing. Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice was installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the field of nine 3-year-olds for the mile-and-an-eighth race. Close second-choice is To Honor and Serve. It would be no surprise if To Honor and Serve, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, actually is made the favorite by post time.

BALTIMORE - The horses entered for the 136th Preakness were matched with their post positions on Wednesday evening during a wine-and-appetizers reception for the human participants involved in the race. There aren't as many owners and trainers with cases of nerves at the Preakness draw as there are at the Kentucky Derby draw. That's because the Preakness is limited to 14 starters, and there aren't the sort of luck-crunching post draws that occur to horses sentenced to the inside and outside flanks of the Derby's typical 20-horse stampede.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In the least surprising development of Kentucky Derby Week, it was announced yesterday morning that 2-year-old champion Uncle Mo would be scratched from today's race. The colt, so brilliant last year when winning his three races by a combined 23 1/4 lengths, did not make his 3-year-old debut until March 12 in a glorified workout disguised as a race. Uncle Mo won easily. Then he got very tired at the end of the Wood Memorial on April 9 and faded to third. Something clearly was amiss.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The pockmarked road to the Kentucky Derby claimed another victim Friday when Uncle Mo was scratched because of a mysterious stomach ailment, further dimming a race already short on star power and speed. Uncle Mo's defection also threw the Derby wide open. "You're never safe until you put that saddle on, because anything can happen," Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said. Owner Mike Repole announced the decision to scratch second favorite Uncle Mo about 40 minutes before wagering opened for the 137th Derby, set for Saturday at 6:24 p.m. The colt has been bothered by a stomach problem, but veterinarians couldn't find a reason for his decreased appetite, energy, and poor-looking coat.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When the calendar turned to January, this 3-year-old crop had more potential than any in years. They were really fast. They were consistent. There was the brilliant Uncle Mo, the talented Boys at Tosconova and hard-trying To Honor and Serve in the East, freaky-fast The Factor in the West. Fast forward to May and it's all fallen apart. Only Uncle Mo made it to the Kentucky Derby and the 2-year-old champion has as many detractors as admirers. As soon as a horse looked like he was going forward, he would get hurt (Premier Pegasus)

It's Kentucky Derby week, with no real local connections at Churchill Downs this time at the Run for the Roses. However, a favorite in the Kentucky Oaks, Friday's big race for fillies, is Joyful Victory, owned by Wilming- ton's Rick Porter, trained by Larry Jones from Delaware Park. That's the same team that teamed up for 2007 Derby runner-up Hard Spun and the ill-fated 2008 Derby runner-up Eight Belles, the filly who broke down after the race and was put down on the track.